One person is dead and another is missing after a Maryland apartment complex flooded early Wednesday morning due to the remnants ofHurricane Ida.
The Montgomery County Police Departmentconfirmed the incident in a press release, noting that they were alerted of flooding at the Rock Creek Woods apartment complex in Rockville around 3:50 a.m.
Fire and rescue officials immediately responded to the scene, where they helped dozens of residents evacuate from their terrace level apartments, according to the release.
A 19-year-old male was confirmed dead from the flooding and one unidentified resident was still missing, the release stated.
Three people were transported to local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, including one firefighter with minor injuries, officials said.
One female resident who had to be rescued, only identified as Melissa, spoke to CBS affiliateWUSAand described the horrifying scene that unfolded in the early morning hours.
“I just grabbed my phone and called 911 and it was busy because everyone else was calling 911,“she explained to the outlet. “Water was just coming in. We tried to [escape] but the water was just rushing in, both ways — the front door and the side bedroom water. Every angle.”
Melissa added that her mom, who is 5-feet tall, could barely breathe during the incident because there was only about 4-5 inches of space above the water level.
The Montgomery County Police is now urging anyone who escaped the apartment complex to contact them so they can “ensure that all residents are accounted for,” per the release.
Though everything in her home is a “total loss,” Melissa told WUSA she was grateful to have survived the harrowing ordeal with her loved ones.
“Thank God because never in my life would I think about this or losing my mom or kids right in front of my eyes,” she told the outlet through tears. “That wasn’t gonna happen. And thank God others got out.”
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Rock Creek Woods wasn’t the only apartment complex in Rockville to flood on Wednesday. Montgomery County police spokeswoman Shiera Goff tells PEOPLE that flooding also occurred at the Congressional Towers Apartment, just two miles away.
Goff did not disclose how many people were displaced at Congressional Towers but confirms that all residents have been accounted for and no injuries were reported.
Rockville is expected toreceive heavy thunderstorms through Wednesdayand is currently under a tornado watch until 7 p.m., as well as a flash flood watch until Thursday at 8 a.m., according toThe Weather Channel.
source: people.com
